Kerala to convert houseboats into isolation wards in fight against COVID-19

The Alappuzha district administration is working out the logistics

Kerala’s houseboats may not be able to ferry people around the backwaters for a while now, but they will soon be put to good use. In Alappuzha, houseboats will double up as isolation wards if more beds are needed to fight coronavirus.

On Wednesday, District Collector of Alappuzha M Anjana announced that the All Kerala Houseboats Owners Association had agreed to extend help if the need arises.

The district administration has already identified 5,806 beds with attached toilets in Alappuzha’s hotels, resorts, hostels and lodges, as there are insufficient hospitals, Anjana told PTI. If these fail to suffice, the boats will be turned into isolation wards, providing at least 1,500 to 2,000 beds. Logistics like bringing the boats to one location are still being worked out.

This is not the first time houseboats have come to people’s rescue in Kerala. During the devastating floods of 2018, nearly 1,000 houseboats were used to evacuate over 30,000 people stranded in floodwaters, while many others also sought shelter in them.